September 2011: The Frederick S. Pardee Center for the Study of the Longer Range Future at Boston University has announced the publication of a policy brief titled “Rio+20: Accountability and Implementation as Key Goals.” It is based on a high-level brainstorming session held in side event during the Second Session of the Preparatory Committee for the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD, or Rio+20), in March 2011.

The authors, Adil Najam and Miquel Muñoz, assert that the UNCSD is an opportunity to strengthen global environmental governance through greater accountability. To that end, they propose four “accountability-enabling mechanisms”: improved metrics and reporting mechanisms; transparency mechanisms; compliance mechanisms; and capacity building. They also propose enabling institutional arrangements, including a renewed focus for the Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) and a global Aarhus instrument.

The briefing paper is part of a series, “Sustainable Development Insights,” supporting the Sustainable Development Knowledge Partnership (SDKP). [Publication: Rio+20: Accountability and Implementation as Key Goals] [Report of Side Event]